Le Morte d'Arthur BOOK XVIII CHAPTER XIX

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 CHAPTER XIX
 
 Of the great lamentation of the Fair Maid of Astolat when
 Launcelot should depart, and how she died for his love.
 
 
 MY lord, Sir Launcelot, now I see ye will depart; now fair
 knight and courteous knight, have mercy upon me, and
 suffer me not to die for thy love.  What would ye that I
 did? said Sir Launcelot.  I would have you to my husband,
 said Elaine.  Fair damosel, I thank you, said Sir Launcelot,
 but truly, said he, I cast me never to be wedded man.
 Then, fair knight, said she, will ye be my paramour?  Jesu
 defend me, said Sir Launcelot, for then I rewarded your
 father and your brother full evil for their great goodness.
 Alas, said she, then must I die for your love.  Ye shall not
 so, said Sir Launcelot, for wit ye well, fair maiden, I might
 have been married an I had would, but I never applied me
 to be married yet; but because, fair damosel, that ye love
 me as ye say ye do, I will for your good will and kindness
 show you some goodness, and that is this, that wheresomever
 ye will beset your heart upon some good knight that
 will wed you, I shall give you together a thousand pound
 yearly to you and to your heirs; thus much will I give you,
 fair madam, for your kindness, and always while I live to
 be your own knight.  Of all this, said the maiden, I will
 none, for but if ye will wed me, or else be my paramour at
 the least, wit you well, Sir Launcelot, my good days are
 done.  Fair damosel, said Sir Launcelot, of these two things
 ye must pardon me.
 
 Then she shrieked shrilly, and fell down in a swoon;
 and then women bare her into her chamber, and there she
 made over much sorrow; and then Sir Launcelot would
 depart, and there he asked Sir Lavaine what he would do.
 What should I do, said Sir Lavaine, but follow you, but
 if ye drive me from you, or command me to go from you.
 Then came Sir Bernard to Sir Launcelot and said to him:
 I cannot see but that my daughter Elaine will die for your
 sake.  I may not do withal, said Sir Launcelot, for that
 me sore repenteth, for I report me to yourself, that my
 proffer is fair; and me repenteth, said Sir Launcelot, that
 she loveth me as she doth; I was never the causer of it,
 for I report me to your son I early ne late proffered her
 bount nor fair behests; and as for me, said Sir Launcelot,
 I dare do all that a knight should do that she is a clean
 maiden for me, both for deed and for will.  And I am
 right heavy of her distress, for she is a full fair maiden,
 good and gentle, and well taught.  Father, said Sir
 Lavaine, I dare make good she is a clean maiden as for my
 lord Sir Launcelot; but she doth as I do, for sithen I first
 saw my lord Sir Launcelot, I could never depart from him,
 nor nought I will an I may follow him.
 
 Then Sir Launcelot took his leave, and so they departed,
 and came unto Winchester.  And when Arthur
 wist that Sir Launcelot was come whole and sound the
 king made great joy of him, and so did Sir Gawaine and
 all the knights of the Round Table except Sir Agravaine
 and Sir Mordred.  Also Queen Guenever was wood wroth
 with Sir Launcelot, and would by no means speak with
 him, but estranged herself from him; and Sir Launcelot
 made all the means that he might for to speak with the
 queen, but it would not be.
 
 Now speak we of the Fair Maiden of Astolat that
 made such sorrow day and night that she never slept, ate,
 nor drank, and ever she made her complaint unto Sir
 Launcelot.  So when she had thus endured a ten days, that
 she feebled so that she must needs pass out of this world,
 then she shrived her clean, and received her Creator.  And
 ever she complained still upon Sir Launcelot.  Then her
 ghostly father bade her leave such thoughts.  Then she
 said, why should I leave such thoughts?  Am I not an
 earthly woman?  And all the while the breath is in my
 body I may complain me, for my belief is I do none offence
 though I love an earthly man; and I take God to my
 record I loved never none but Sir Launcelot du Lake, nor
 never shall, and a clean maiden I am for him and for all
 other; and sithen it is the sufferance of God that I shall
 die for the love of so noble a knight, I beseech the High
 Father of Heaven to have mercy upon my soul, and upon
 mine innumerable pains that I suffered may be allegeance
 of part of my sins.  For sweet Lord Jesu, said the fair
 maiden, I take Thee to record, on Thee I was never great
 offencer against thy laws; but that I loved this noble
 knight, Sir Launcelot, out of measure, and of myself, good
 Lord, I might not withstand the fervent love wherefore I
 have my death.
 
 And then she called her father, Sir Bernard, and her
 brother, Sir Tirre, and heartily she prayed her father that
 her brother might write a letter like as she did indite it:
 and so her father granted her.  And when the letter was
 written word by word like as she devised, then she prayed
 her father that she might be watched until she were dead.
 And while my body is hot let this letter be put in my right
 hand, and my hand bound fast with the letter until that I
 be cold; and let me be put in a fair bed with all the richest
 clothes that I have about me, and so let my bed and all
 my richest clothes be laid with me in a chariot unto the
 next place where Thames is; and there let me be put
 within a barget, and but one man with me, such as ye trust
 to steer me thither, and that my barget be covered with
 black samite over and over: thus father I beseech you let
 it be done.  So her father granted it her faithfully, all
 things should be done like as she had devised.  Then her
 father and her brother made great dole, for when this was
 done anon she died.  And so when she was dead the corpse
 and the bed all was led the next way unto Thames, and
 there a man, and the corpse, and all, were put into Thames;
 and so the man steered the barget unto Westminster, and
 there he rowed a great while to and fro or any espied it.